Darian DeVries’ new-look Mountaineers are ranked for the second time this season despite facing elite competition this week.
West Virginia took on No. 10 Houston and No. 2 Iowa State this week and went 1-1, falling to the Cougars in Houston but taking down the Cyclones. WVU joined No. 1 Auburn as one of two teams to defeat Iowa State this season.
With the upset, WVU is now 3-1 against top 10 opponents and 4-1 against top 25 opponents. After falling out of the AP top 25 last week, the Mountaineers are now No. 23 in the nation.
The Big 12 continues to prove its one of the most competitive conferences in men’s basketball, now with four teams in the top 25. Iowa State fell to No. 3, and Houston moved up to No. 7 after playing WVU. Kansas joins them at No. 12 on the poll.
Before DeVries’ arrival, WVU’s most recent appearance in the top 25 was in the last week of 2022 under Bob Huggins. The Mountaineers ended that 2022-2023 season unranked and fell to Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
DeVries’ squad is now on track to bring WVU back to March Madness, sitting at 13-4 and 4-2 in Big 12 play.
The Mountaineers get a break from ranked matchups this week as they take on Arizona State and Kansas State, who are both 1-5 in conference play. Tip-off against Arizona State is set for 9 p.m. on Tuesday in Morgantown. The Wildcats host WVU on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
Photo by Ryan Roddy, Blue Gold Sports
